Digital cameras forum: which olympus PEN

Here is a comparison of that type of camera:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8986630048/mirrorless-roundup-2011

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The comparison link, was done in the last part of 2011 and does not include any of the very new releases.
The problem is that most of the new cameras have not been reviewed and may not even be in stores yet.
Here are a few:

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 and X10
Olympus E-5 and OM-D E-M5
Panasonic DMC-GX1
Pentax K-01
Samsung NX200

And for something different:
Canon G1-X

You will likely find that all of these cameras will be more expensive than you budget.
Most people (me too) were expecting the mirrorless cameras to be less expensive than a DSLR.
But that is not the case.

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If I was choosing for myself, I would choose the EPL2.
But my reasons for that choice would be different from your reasons.

Your reasons have to deal with availability, price, warranty and having a camera that is convenient (built-in flash).

With those limitations, there is no good choice.

I would keep looking for something better.

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The comparisons of those 2 cameras have been discussed to ad-nauseum in other forums.
i.e. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=39745469

I can't add anything new.

My reason for choosing the EPL2 is different that other people's reasons.
The EPL2 can be found at very good discounts if you shop around.
I would pick the EPL2 because of the price, as I already have a DSLR camera if I need something more powerful/versatile than the EPL2.
I don't see that a camera a little bit smaller/lighter than a DSLR is so advantageous.
I have been carrying SLR/DSLR cameras for over 35 years.
They don't seem that big to me.
But there are times I don't want to risk using an expensive camera and will use a less expensive camera (with manual controls).

Regarding flash:

The EPL2 has a pop-up flash that is about equivalent to a flash on a "point-n-shoot" camera.
It has a reach of about 32 feet (at ISO 100) and does give you some control over the flash (shutter speed, brightness) plus you have a hot-shoe that can handle several more powerful Olympus external Flash Units.

The EPL3 does not have an internal flash, which means you must use an external flash unit to be able to have flash. The flash unit that comes with the camera is more versatile that the inbuilt flash unit of the EPL2. And it has a flash range of about 33 feet (at ISO 200).
Or you can use the hot-shoe to hold a more sophisticated Olympus flash unit.